Yes, a FreeNAS VM can work in production and is reliable when properly configured.
Yes, a FreeNAS VM can work in production and is reliable when properly configured.
FreeNAS with a Windows VM offers solid performance for video workstations. It maintains full Windows features and program support, ensuring reliability. The setup works well for demanding tasks while keeping things straightforward.
They don't appear to allow hardware integration, meaning no GPU capabilities will be available.
For a Windows workstation, consider installing it directly on hardware without any extra layers. This allows you to set up file shares and RAID features within Windows itself. Freas doesn't offer strong virtual machine support. Proxmox provides superior VM capabilities, especially for GPU passthrough and shared storage, along with the same RAID system.
Others have noted that FreeNAS isn't ideal for virtual machines. While you can create them, passing through GPUs might be problematic. For multiple VMs, a hypervisor would be better suited. Proxmox is a solid alternative. ESXi Free is another choice but has constraints such as a maximum of 8 vCPUs per VM. For more details, see this article: https://www.vmwareblog.org/esxi-free-buy-esxi-anyway/